Formulae are operations on cell contents. Cells are referred to by their cell address, (see Specifying Cells, above).

Tip! It is good practice to NEVER use a number in a formula. If a constant number is used in several formulas it is much more advisable to put the number in its own cell, with a description of why the number is used. This number can then be used in the formulae by means of its absolute cell reference. In this way it is easy to alter the constant factor, without having to edit many formulae.

Operators

There are several operators available, which are listed in the Operator Precedence table below.

Operator Precedence

Operators are evaluated in a certain order. Use the following phrase to remember the basics of the arithmetic operator precedence: "My Dear Aunt Sally" (Multiplication, Division, Addition then Subtraction). i.e. the formula 10-2*3 = 4 not 24 as the multiplication is evaluated before the subtraction. To force the formula to be evaluated in a different order you can use brackets.

The other operators and their precedence are described below:

Operator	Description	Precedence
&	String combination	1
#AND#, #OR#	Logical AND, logical OR	1
#NOT#	Logical NOT	2
=, <>	Equal, not equal	3
<, >	Less than, greater than	3
<=	Less than or equal	3
>=	Greater than or equal	3
-, +	Subtraction, addition	4
*, /	Multiplication, division	5
-, +	Negative, positive	6
^	To the power of (exponentiation)	7

Composing Formulae

To write a formula, type a '+' or '@' to let Quattro Pro know it is a formula, then click the cells or blocks to add their addresses to the formula, using operators as required. More complex formulae can be created using the formula composer.

Parenthesis - Matching and Closing

Quattro Pro automatically indicates open brackets and matches the opening bracket with a closing one as you type a formula via a colour coding method. If you have not closed the brackets properly when you stop editing the cell, Quattro Pro will automatically add a bracket to the end of the formula.

The Formula Composer

The formula composer is a useful tool for creating formulas of any type, as it has easy to follow steps and on-line help available throughout.
To launch the formula composer, click the button on the ToolBar, or press [Ctrl]+[F2].

The buttons in the formula composer have the following functions:

	Bring up a dialogue box in which you can select a function from the list. The functions are grouped according to their category.
	Dismiss the formula composer and insert the formula into the active cell.
	Dismiss the formula composer without inserting the formula into the active cell.
	Bring up the help system about the formula composer.
	Bring up help relevant to the currently selected function.

@Functions

There are various pre-defined functions in Quattro Pro, such as @SUM(). A full listing of these functions is available in the formula composer. Full help is also available in the formula composer. Some commonly used functions are described in the relevant sections.

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